Despite boasting a 208-104-40 regular season record with the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Bruce Boudreau has fallen short in the playoffs.
The Ducks have won four consecutive Pacific Division titles but they’ve been eliminated in a Game 7 at home in each of those seasons.
One common theme for the Ducks in recent post-seasons has been running into streaking netminders.
“Isn’t it awful? He runs into hot goalies all the time,” Don Cherry said on Coach’s Corner Thursday.
The Ducks were felled by the Nashville Predators 2-1 Wednesday despite firing 37 shots at Pekka Rinne.
“Bruce, I feel sorry for you. You outplayed them like Chicago [last year],” Cherry added. “You couldn’t have played any better. You run into a hot goalie. What are you gonna do?”
Last season the Ducks were one game from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final but lost 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford stopped 35 of 38 shots in that game. The year prior, Anaheim only managed to score 14 goals in seven games against Jonathan Quick and the eventual Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. In 2013, they were upset in the first round by the Red Wings (when Detroit was still in the Western Conference) as Jimmy Howard made 31 saves in Game 7.